Submarine warfare.



1. A. STEINMETZ.

SUBMARINE WARFARE.

APPLKCATION FILED MAR. 22, I916.

1,222,49 Patented, Apr. 10, 1917.

UNITED STATES PATENT orr on.

JOSEPH a STEINMETZ, or PHI ADELPHIA, rENNs'YLvAN IA.

sunmmmn WARFARE.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOSEPH A. STEIN- METZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvesons in the submarine or by projectiles from ably or ramming by any hostile craft,-the operator controlled release taking .place while the under-water craft is submerged, and the idea being that one submarine, or preferably several submarines, first getting on the windward side of a hostile ship or ships may release a large quantity of temporarily incapacitating gas which will move along the water and envelop, and penetrate all openings on each ship and practically put the same out of action by seriouslyinterfering with the efforts of all persons thereon.

Figure'l is a diagrammatic view illustrating an embodiment of the invention, and

Figs. 2 and 3' are small detail views here- .inafter explained.

In these figures, A represents a vessel of any non-submersible kind and B a submarineof any ap roved type, having a suitable periscope (l of recognizable or usual form. Upon the exterior of the submarine are detachably secured a series of very large tanks D containing suitable gas and each preferably provided atone end with'a periscopelike tube E similar in appearance to the periscope C. Each tank is shownas held between. hinged arms which are normally prevented from opening by any suitable well known device F released by an electric current through wires G coming from the interior of the vessel. I

closed by a diaphragm H adapted to be broken by an electric current through conductors I from the interior of the vesdevices; e. g., detonatinga small/explosive charge at J. These tanks may be thus "releasedv at will either after destruction of their closures or without such destruction,

Specification of Letters Patent.

or, if desired, the closure may be destroyed without releasing the tank or tanks. In the former case, the released tank rises by flotation to the surface of the water and if pre viously opened discharges gas. If unopened, it may probably draw attack because indistinguishable from the periscope of a.sub-

the water and spreads out thereon with much the same result as in the cases first.

mentioned. a

Fig. lyshows one of the freed tanks as having reached the surface of th ,water.

afterhaving' its closure destroyed and as having its upper end "ruptured by hostile attack so that it discharges gas through the Patented Apr. 10,1917. Application filed. March 22,- 1916. Serial No. 86,036. i I

periscope-like tube and also through the rupture, and further shows a second released tank as rising from the submarine toward the surface of the water. The tanks are preferably provided with weights K at their lower ends so that they assume a vertical position in, the water, and this weight may,

if desired, be utilized for opening the tank when the latter reaches a vertical position.

- The weight may primarily be held in a chamber below the gas space, the chamber having, below, a marginal flange for retaining it until the tank approaches vertical position. k

The gas tanks-may be released from the submarine by non-electrical means operated from inside the submarine and when reach ing proper or chosen surface position the tanks may be openedtby apull on the control line N leading. from the submarine, thus preventing the gas tanks, from floating away from the field of operation. The tanks may, if desired, be provided with an annular ex terna-l' chamber 0 near the end bearing the tube Efto insure their assuming an upright positionfin the water. 7

Heretofore," so far as I am aware, suba marines have been used in attack only for .Each tube E is preferlaunchingtorpedoes and for attack with deck" guns when not submerged. Broadly,

the invention involves freeing from a sub- 7 p j merged vessellarge quantities of incapacia sel, the current actlngthroughany sultable tating gasesto spread .outabove the surface Q of the" water and thereby to put surface within the submarine while the latter ischarging through such openings or pipes the gases carried or generated within the sub marine or a compartment thereof.

It is obvious that Submarines may, by

liberating gases, attack hostile craft and by night even more effectively and with more 'complete safety for themselves, and by night or day can, if'it be desirable, escape very vreadily while the attention 'of dangerous enemies is devoted to consideration of incapacitating gas.

What I claim is:

1. The method of attacking hostile floating craft which consists in providing a sub-- marine with a great volume of gas unsuitable for ordinary respiration and discharging the gas, by means operated by persons submerged, into the open= atmospherevjust above the surface of the water and near the -vessel to be attacked.

allowing said gas-to pass rapidly'into the free air above the submerged submarine.

Witnesses:

3. The combination with a submarine, of

a large gas tank secured externally thereto and containing a great volume of incapacitating gas, means. controlled from within the submarine for opening the tank, and means for freeing the tank and allowing it to rise to the waters surface.

4. The combination with a submarine provided with external "gas tanks containing a large volume of incapacitating gas, of electric means operable from within thesubmarineto open the tanks and to free them and allow them to float .to the waters surface while the submarine remains submerged.

5. The combination with a submarine of a I,

large external gas tank releasably' held upon the submarine and provided atone end with a normally closed pipe simulating a submarines periseope, and means for ma1ntain ing said pipe in substantially vertlcal position when the released tank floats at the sur-.

face of the-water. In testimony whereof 'afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses. i

a JOSEPH A. 'STEINMETZ.

, ARTHUR S. Mms'mn, THOMAS G IN; 

